I bought two of these to use as continuous kombucha brewers. I have not had any problems with them so far. I was worried about the spigot leaking after reading other reviews, but I have not had that problem with mine. You do have to observe the instructions, as there are two washers that must be installed in the correct positions on the spigot. I tightened the nuts extra hand tight. These work well for kombucha because the large open top makes it easy to pour in the make up tea.
Since kombucha likes it to be around 80F for brewing, I added a reptile heatmat underneath the two crocks, and a hydrofarm temperature controller to keep it around 80F. It works great as a system, and I got everything from Amazon, including the tea! (Note: I no longer use a reptile heat mat underneath; I use a seedling heatmat wrapped around see the comments).
The only problem I had with the order, was the first two crocks arrived completely shattered. There was zero padding in the boxes, just a thick box inside another box. When I lifted the box to move them, I could hear the shards scattering around. But Amazon was great about it, and sent me two new crocks by next day delivery, and those arrived in perfect condition! Now that is good customer service.
I had another water crock I got when I had Poland Spring home water delivery, and its porcelain was a bit thicker than these crocks. But these crocks it is thick enough, but a little more fragile. I like that it is certified lead free, since many glazes contain lead.
August 2012 editing to add ... I''ve had the crocks in service nearly a year now. I am surprised the spigots have not started leaking yet, since they get cycled almost daily, and I have run hot water through them to clean them out. I''ve had zero problems with these crocks. None has broken, and none leaks even the slightest bit.
March 2013 editing to add ... Still zero leaks from the spigots. They have to tightened pretty firmly to make sure they don''t leak. Basically if you can twist the spigot with your fingers, the nut isn''t tight enough. They say not to overtighten because it could break the porcelain, but if hand tightening the nut I think it would be hard to tighten it so much that it cracks.
I''ve never written a review before, but feel its necessary as I did not heed the warnings of others in their reviews of this product. The good news is that this is a beautiful dispenser.. very simple and elegant looking and doesn''t take over my tiny kitchen with a loud design. Unfortunately, it leaked. Everywhere. Gallons of water all over my counters and floor when I woke up in the morning. I figured I must have assembled it wrong (not making the bolt tight enough, etc..) but after double checking all that I realized there was a leak in the pot itself. Normally, this wouldn''t be an issue, but when I tried to return it, I was informed I couldn''t because I waited too long. The product sat in the box for a few weeks as I had to wait for my other one to be picked up from the water service I use... my bad I guess. Lesson learned. The moral of this story is to pay attention to your reviews and make sure you test your purchase out for defects right away, so you can get your money back if it''s broken. In the spirit of making lemonade out of my lemons, I may just convert it into a planter since it was so pretty.
Buy New Wave Enviro Porcelain Water Dispenser (2.5-Gallon) Now
There is nothing too flashy about this dispenser, but it does exactly what it is supposed to do. I have been using it for about a month now, with no cracks or leaks from the dispenser or tap. It functions nicely as a kombucha continous brewing station. My only complaint is not with the product itself, but rather with the fact that Amazon sent me two of them when I only ordered one, and trying to be honest and return the extra one was a bit of an ordeal. Other than that, I am very pleased.
Read Best Reviews of New Wave Enviro Porcelain Water Dispenser (2.5-Gallon) Here
Does NOT leak at all. Very sturdy thick walls. Absolutely love it.
I was concerned about buying it because of all the comments that the spout leaks, but it does not. Very happy with the purchase.
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I was renting one of these for $12 a month from the water delivery company. I know... hang head in shame. This thing is just like what I was renting except 1. it doesn''t leak, and 2. it doesn''t have that stupid blue line around it. It''s great!
I purchased two coleman 1 gallon coolers and when I started using them I noticed that they gave my water a funny taste. The taste I think was coming from the plastic that was used in this product. The taste was so bad that I quit using them.Coleman Jug (1-Gallon, Blue)Coleman Jug (1-Gallon, Red)
